Running a heating and cooling analysis
Any referenced datasets can be downloaded from "Module downloads" in the module overview.
Running a heating and cooling analysis - Exercise
- Open the practice file, Small Medical Center - Analysis Running02.rvt.
- Select the analyze tab, go to the Reports and Schedules panel and select Heating and Cooling Loads.
- You can also use the keyboard shortcut by typing LO.
- Under Building Type, scroll through list to select the appropriate building type for your project.
- On the left is the preview pane showing your model.
- Notice the (2) tabs on the right - General and Details.
- Let's talk about these Parameter choices under the General tab first.
- Building Type
- It's important you make sure the building type is set correctly.
- Scroll through list to select the appropriate building type for your project. Let's choose Hospital/Healthcare here.
- Location
- The location is taken from your project geographic location in the Manage tab, under Project Location.
- Also, part of the heating and cooling loads analysis is based on the outside temperatures from the building's location.
- Ground Plane
- What level you want the analysis to start from.
- We'll leave it set to the Ground level.
- Project Phase
- Leave it set to New Construction.
- SLIVER Space Tolerance
- Gives you the ability to ignore space types like the chase between rest room walls.
- Accept the 1'-0" default for now.
- Building Envelope
- Use the default, which is "Use Function Parameter". This is defined in the walls of the architectural model – how to wall is being used – interior or exterior.
- Building Service
- Refers to the type of system being used to heat and cool the building.
- Schematic Type:
- We'll use the default, but you can specifically define the construction type for the roof or walls.
- Building Infiltration Class:
- This will estimate how much of the outside air is going to infiltrate into the building.
- Setting it to None will exclude this information.
- Report Type:
- How detail do you want the report to be.
- For now, we will use "Standard" report type.
- Use Load Credits:
- For now, leave unchecked. Basically, this has to do with heat or cool air moving from one zone to another through a partition, creating a positive or negative load credits.
- Building Type
- Once you are done with setting the General choices, go to the Details tab.
- Select one of the spaces in the list.
- To help identify the space’s location in the model, choose the icons at the upper right to either highlight or isolate it in the viewing pane.
- Under Space Type below, you can now modify its type by choosing the triple (…) dot hidden button to get access to the list of space types we saw earlier.
- This will let you revisit the space's type one more time making sure it’s correct before running the report.
- If you decide to run the report later, you can always select "Save Settings" at the bottom.
- Once you are done choosing all the settings in both the General and Details tabs, select Calculate.
- Once Calculate is complete, Revit will display the results of the analysis report.
- To access this report or any others in the future, go to Project Browser under Report category.